Amusement device for producing illusory effects.



NEILSON BURGESS. v AMUSEMENT DEVICE FOR PRODUCING ILLUSORY EFFECTS.

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NEILSON BURGESS. AMUSEMENT DEVICE FOR PRODUCING ILLUSORY EFFECTS.

APPLIGATION FILED APB.17. 1806.

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NEILSON BURGESS; AMUSEMENT DEVICE FOR PBODUGING ILLUSORY EFFECTS.

APPLICATION IILBD APR.17. 1906.

Patented June 15, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

NEILSON BURGESS, OF HIGHLANDS, NEW JERSEY.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE FOR PRODUCING ILLUSORY EFFECTS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NEILSON BURGESS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Highlands, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Amusement Device for Producing Illusory Effects, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to that class of devices used for supporting moving objects, and while allowing the objects to so move or operate as, under ordinary conditions, to enable them to travel at certain rates of Speed, yet prevents such actual travel.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of this class that shall give to the objects every appearance of moving at apparent rates of speed, and at the same time to enable riders to maintain their equilibrium upon the moving objects; and a further object of the invention is to provide a device of this class in which the objects shall have every appearance of acting and moving under ordinary conditions; and a further object of the invention is to provide a device in which the means necessary to produce the illusion shall be imperceptible to an audi- A form of device in the use of which these objects may be attained is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in vertical section through an inclosure showing the application of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the means of supporting the animals. Fig. 8 is a detail top or plan view showing the means for supporting the animals. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a platform arranged above the animals. Fig. 5 is a detail view, on reduced scale, showing the appearance of the improved setting from the point of view of an audience. Fig. 6 is a view through the inclosure on the line a?a,= of Fig. 1, the applauding device and supports, however, being omitted. Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the acket for supporting the riders and the connection of the supports therewith. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the supporting hook.

My improved apparatus is more especially designed for use with entertainments or amusements given under canvas, and its use in connection with such an inclosure or covering has, therefore, been adopted herein as a means of illustration, although it will be Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 17, 1906.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial No. 312,165.

readily understood that I do not limit myself to its use in connection with such an inclosure.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 1 denotes an inclosure, as a tent or the like, preferably made of canvas. This may be a comparatively small portion, as one end, of a large tent or inclosure for an audience, and may be of any desired shape. It may, in fact, consist of a small tent or inclosure placed immediately outside of a larger tent. the latter having an opening of considerable size to permit a proper view of the performance within the smaller tent. This opening, however, is so obscured that the apparatus shall have the appearance of being located in the larger inclosure, or that in which the audience is gathered.

A floor 2 may be provided of any desired extent, and may be raised sufliciently to partially or wholly contain thereunder the apparatus herein described, or a depression or pit 2 may be formed in the ground and the floor 2 employed to cover the opening thus made.

The traveling platform may be of suitable construction, that herein shown being preferred, and including supporting rolls 3 mounted at each end on proper supports 3 the endless path 4; extending about these rolls. Any desired form of traveling platform may be employed, the specific form of such not constituting a part of my present invention.

Many devices of this character have heretofore been invented and patented by me, but in such devices I have found that in order to maintain the traveling platform level, or practically so, the movements of the animal or animals are restricted owing to the power required to move the platform or path. It has, therefore, been impossible to give to the animal an appearance of traveling as fast as could be desired, and by my within improvement I have overcome this defect.

A motor 5, of any desired type, is suitably connected with the traveling platform, as by means of a belt 6 passing about a pulley secured to the bearing of one of the rolls 3. By means of this motor the platform may be caused to travel at any desired rate of speed so that practically no effort will be required on the part of the animals to cause the platform to move and they can, therefore, exert their entire eiforts in speeding. In order that the motor shall not cause the platform to travel at such a rate of speed as to trip or throw the animals, means are provided for controlling this movement. One form of such means I have shown herein as consisting of a lever 7 having an idler 8 in contact with the belt that may be somewhat loose. By means of this lever and idler an operator by watching the path can readily determine the desired rate of speed to enable the animals to move without being tripped or thrown, and the rate of speed of the plat form may thus be increased or lessened, as

desired.

In order to enable the animal to steadily maintain its position on the traveling platform I provide a support consisting of a post or posts 9 rising from the floor 2. These posts are of sufficient size and are suitably secured to steadily maintain the animal in an upright position and prevent its efforts from moving it off the platform. A supporting bar 10 is removably secured to these posts. This bar at the front is formed into a breast support 11, which may extend across or around the breast of the animal and is supported by a strap 12 arranged to pass over the neck of the animal. A body support consisting of a strap 13 is securely fixed to the bar 10 and is arranged to pass about the body of the animal and be securely fastened thereto. A look bar 11 is mounted in lock bar supports 15 secured to the posts, this lock bar having pins 16 engaging lips *17 from the supporting bar 10. By means of a handle 18 secured to the lock bar the latter may be drawn to disengage the pin 16 from the lips 17 and thus free the bar 10 and consequently the animal from engagement with the supports, the supporting bar 10 being carried with the animal as it moves away from the posts. It will be noted that this support acts as a support merely to aid in preserving the equilibrium of the object and does not restrict the object on the platform in any of its movements, all of such functions being permitted to the fullest extent. The support, however, sustains the object against advance movementso far as objects located ofi the platform are concerned, but so far as the object and the platform is concerned, there is in effect an advance movement of the former to the same extent as though the object were executing the same motions on a stationary path, the path, however, in the present instance traveling backward underneath the object. Those parts of the apparatus, as the breast support, straps, etc. may be decorated to properly represent harness parts or regular trappings of the horse.

As many of the traveling platforms as desired may be employed, two having been chosen for purposes of illustration herein. In order to aid in the illusion the supporting posts may be covered in any desired manner.

As illustrated herein these posts are covered as by means of a shield 19 which may consist of a piece of canvas similar to and made to correspond with that composing the walls of the tent or inclosure and extending up to a height sufiicient to cover the posts.

As a means of supporting the rider or riders of the animals I employ wires 21 secured to straps 22 of a jacket 22 from which straps 22 may pass around the legs to steadily support the riders, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings. These wires may be of inconsiderable size, and being like in appearance to the seams in the canvas of the tent will not be readily detected. These wires may pass over sheaves 23 suitably located and secured to any fixed support placed for the purpose, or to a pole supporting the tent, and at point approximately over the riders, and thence over other sheaves 24 and may terminate in counterpoise devices or weights 25. The counterpoise will be slightly less in weight than that of the rider supported thereby. In place of the counterpoise weights an attendant may manipulate this end of the wire and aid in supporting the riders in.position.

It will be obvious that in order to properly balance the rider the wires 21 must always be maintained approximately vertically over the rider, and in order to enable the rider to assume different positions on the animal or on different animals this position of the wire must be maintained. In order .to accomplish this I provide an overhead platform 26. This platform is of a sufficient width to enable an attendant to maintain the wires directly over the riders in their lateral movements, a space 27 being left between two sections of the platform, as shown in Fig. 4'. for lateral movement of the wires to enable the riders to move freely from side to side. This space 27 is of such width that the attendant may readily step across it, and lengthwise slots 28 are provided for the reception of the supporting wires to allow. the riders such movement as may be desired back and forth along or with the animals. The platform may be supported in any desired manner. The platform may be obscured, and also the motor and other devices, as by means of borders a and wings I) which may be constructed of canvas to correspond with and resemble the walls of the tent and thus so arranged that their presence will not be discernable. The dotted line in Fig. 5 of the drawings shows the opening bounded by the border and wings as seen from the audience.

The description herein as to the greater part has been with reference to animals supported on the traveling platform, but it is obvious that other moving objects may be placed thereon, and the description is therefore considered as applying equally to any moving objects which may be located on the platform. These moving obects create more or less noise, and especially is this a fact when the objects are animals, this noise being created by the impact of the hoofs on the traveling platform. In order to render such noise practically or wholly imperceptible and also to create an enthusiasm in the audience I supply a device which will produce sounds appropriate to the occasion, that is, sounds which one would expect to hear at such an affair. One form of device for accomplishing this result is an apparatus for producing sounds representing applause. Such a device shown and illustrated by me in Patent No. 784:,919, dated March 17f, 1905, but this, except in combination with the apparatus herein, forms no part of the present invention, a detailed description is deemed unnecessary, reference to said patent being deemed sufficient. By means of this device for creating applause, as soon as the traveling platform is started the means for creating the applause may also be started, and this will effectually drown the noise of the traveling platform and animals, and at the same time create an enthusiasm in the audience that will not know but that the applause is proceeding from some other part of the inclosure or tent. his device for creating the applause may be connected with the motor if desired, and the sounds may be increased or decreased by a device similar to that illustrated and described with reference to the connection between the motor and the traveling platform. In some instances the applause of the audience may reach such proportions as to drown the noise of the traveling platform and the animals thereon, in which case the apparatus for producing artificial applause may be allowed to de crease its volume or cease altogether, if desired.

The numeral 29 denotes a hook secured to the end of the supports or wires 21, this hook having a loop 30 to which a disconnecting cord 31 may be attached. This cord may hang loose and made to resemble the trappings of the riders or may extend upward to be operated by the attendant on the platform 26. It will thus be seen that by means of this connecting cord the hooks supporting the riders may be readily disengaged therefrom.

By the use of my improved apparatus a performance may be given by persons unskilled in riding that shall apparently equal in skill that of those most proficient in the art, and also skilled or unskilled riders, may be enabled to perform feats of horsemanship not heretofore possible. Double acts may be readily performed and after the feats have been accomplished the attendant, or a performer assisting in the act but not actually taking part in the riding may help the riders to dismount and thus imperceptibly unfasten the supports, and the fastenings for the horses to the posts, and the horses may be led away, that side of the horse bearing the supporting bar of course being keptaway from the audience, and this leading away of the horses will successfully aid in the illusion and will lead the audience to be 'lieve that the riding has taken place under ordinary circumstances. The means for regulating the applauding device may include a treadle 33 having a lever 34 to engage the belt 235 used to drive the applauding device 32.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an amusement device, a traveling platform arranged to sustain an object to move freely on its surface, a support for said platform, means located independently of said platform for supporting an object against advance movement on said platform, means for securing an object to said object supporting means and a motor connected with said platform to move it upon its support.

2. In an amusement device, supporting rolls, a traveling platform arranged to move about said rolls and to support moving ob jects, a support located off the platform to sustain said objects to move freely thereon, means for securing an object to said support and a motor connected to drive the platform around its supporting rolls.

3. In an amusement device, a traveling platform, a support located independently of said platform for an object thereon, and a bar constructed for attachment to said object and removably connected with the support.

at. In an amusement device, a traveling plat-form, posts located independently of said platform for supporting an object thereon, a supporting bar constructed for attachment to said objectand removably attached to said posts, and means for securing the bar to the posts.

In an amusement device, a traveling platform, a support located independently of said platform for an object thereon, a supporting bar constructed for attachment to the object and including a breast bar, and means for removably connecting the supporting bar to the support.

6. In an amusement device, a traveling platform to movably support an object thereon, supports for a person mounted on said object, and means for lessening the weight of the person on said object.

7 In an amusement device, a traveling platform to movably support an object thereon, a flexible support for a person mounted on said object, and a counterpoise weight attached to said support.

8. In an amusement device, a traveling platform to movably support an object thereon, a stationary platform located above the traveling platform, a flexible support for a person on said object passing upward through the stationary platform, and means for lessening the Weight of the person on said object.

9. In an amusen'ient device, a traveling platform to movably support an object thereon, a stationary platform located above the traveling platform and having spaces therein, a flexible support for a person on said object, said support passing through the spaces in the stationary platform, and

means for lessening the Weight of a person on said ob ect.

10. In an amusement device, a travelin platform to movably support an objec f thereon, a stationary platform located above the traveling platform and having spaces extending lengthwise thereof, a support for a person on said object, said support passing through a space in the stationary platform, and means for lessening the Weight of a person on said object.

ll. A traveling platform for movably supporting an object thereon, a stationary platform located above the traveling platform and having a space extending crosswise thereof, a flexible support for a person on said object, said support passing through said spaces, and means for lessening the Weight of a person on said object.

12. In an amusementdevice, a traveling platform arranged .to sustain an object to move freely upon its surface, a support for said platform, means for supporting the object against advance movement upon said platform, a motor connected with said platform to move it upon its support, and means for relieving the force applied by the motor to drive the platform.

13. In an amusement device, supporting rolls, a traveling platform wrapped about the rolls in the form of an endless path and arranged to support objects to move freely thereon, means for supporting the objects against advance movement on the path, and a motor connected to drive the platform around its supporting rolls.

14. In an amusement device, supporting rolls, a traveling platform arranged to move about said rolls and to support objects to move freely thereon, means for supporting the objects against advance movement on the platform, and a motor connected to drive the platform around its supporting rolls.

NEILSON BURGESS.

\Vitnesses DAVID T ownns, M. H. DEHLMAN. 

